Peter Gregorčič

A laser probe measurement of cavitation bubble dynamics improved by shock wave detection and compared to shadow photography

High-intensity light from a laser pulse can produce optical breakdown in a liquid, followed by a shock wave and the growth of a cavitation bubble. When the bubble reaches its maximum radius the liquid pressure causes it to collapse, which in turn initiates the growth of another bubble. The oscillations can repeat themselves several times, and a shock wave is emitted after every collapse. In our study the breakdown was induced in distilled water by a Nd:YAG pulsed laser, which was designed for ocular photodisruption. The main focus of our experiments was measurement of the cavitation bubble and the shock waves using an optical probe based on deflections of a laser beam. The applied experimental setup made it possible to carry out one- or two-dimensional scanning of the cavitation bubble based on automatic control of the experiment. Since the beam-deflection probe (BDP) allowed simultaneous measurements of the cavitation bubble and the shock waves, we developed a method for reducing the measurement noise of...

Investigation of a cavitation bubble between a rigid boundary and a free surface

When a high-intensity laser pulse is focused into a liquid the energy is converted into mechanical energy via an optodynamic process. The conversion starts with plasma formation; this is followed by shock-wave propagation and the expansion of a cavitation bubble. A cavitation bubble developed near boundaries results in an asymmetrical collapse, with the generation of a liquid jet during the bubble’s rebound. In the case of a free surface this liquid jet is directed away from the surface and the oscillation times are prolonged. On the other hand, in the case of a rigid boundary, the liquid jet is directed toward the boundary and the oscillation times are shortened. We present measurements of a cavitation bubble oscillating between a free surface and a rigid boundary using deflections of a laser beam as the optical probe. Shadow photography was used simultaneously as a comparison during the experiments. With the beam-deflection probe we also measured the shortening of the oscillation times near a free surface as well as the prolongation of oscillation times near a rigid boundary. In order to explain this shortening of the cavitation-bubble oscillation times near a free surface, Rayleigh’s model was extended and compared with our experimental results.When a high-intensity laser pulse is focused into a liquid the energy is converted into mechanical energy via an optodynamic process. The conversion starts with plasma formation; this is followed by shock-wave propagation and the expansion of a cavitation bubble. A cavitation bubble developed near boundaries results in an asymmetrical collapse, with the generation of a liquid jet during the bubble’s rebound. In the case of a free surface this liquid jet is directed away from the surface and the oscillation times are prolonged. On the other hand, in the case of a rigid boundary, the liquid jet is directed toward the boundary and the oscillation times are shortened. We present measurements of a cavitation bubble oscillating between a free surface and a rigid boundary using deflections of a laser beam as the optical probe. Shadow photography was used simultaneously as a comparison during the experiments. With the beam-deflection probe we also measured the shortening of the oscillation times near a free surfa...

Quadrature phase-shift error analysis using a homodyne laser interferometer

The influence of quadrature phase shift on the measured displacement error was experimentally investigated using a two-detector polarizing homodyne laser interferometer with a quadrature detection system. Common nonlinearities, including the phase-shift error, were determined and effectively corrected by a robust data-processing algorithm. The measured phase-shift error perfectly agrees with the theoretically determined phase-shift error region. This error is systematic, periodic and severely asymmetrical around the nominal displacement value. The main results presented in this paper can also be used to assess and correct the detector errors of other interferometric and non-interferometric displacement-measuring devices based on phase-quadrature detection.

Optodynamic energy-conversion efficiency during an Er:YAG-laser-pulse delivery into a liquid through different fiber-tip geometries.

When an erbium-laser pulse is directed into water through a small-diameter fiber tip (FT), the absorption of the laser energy superheats the water and its boiling induces a vapor bubble. We present the influence of different FT geometries and pulse parameters on the vapor-bubble dynamics. In our investigation, we use a free-running erbium: yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) (λ=2.94 μm) laser that was designed for laser dentistry. Its pulse is directed into the water through FTs with a flat and conical geometry. Our results show that in the case of the conical FT, a spherical bubble is induced, while a channel-like bubble develops for the flat FT. The ratio between the mechanical energy of the liquid medium and the pulse energy, which we call the optodynamic energy-conversion efficiency, is examined using shadow photography. The results indicate that this efficiency is significantly larger when a conical FT is used and it increases with increasing pulse energy and decreasing pulse duration. The spherical bubbles are compared with the Rayleigh model in order to present the influence of the pulse duration on the dynamics of the bubbles expansion.

A beam-deflection probe as a method for optodynamic measurements of cavitation bubble oscillations

High-intensity light from a laser pulse can produce laser-induced breakdown in a liquid followed by a shock wave and the growth of a cavitation bubble. When the bubble reaches its maximum radius, the pressure of the surrounding liquid causes it to collapse; this results in bubble oscillations. The cavitation bubbles oscillations and the corresponding shock waves were measured from the deflections of a laser beam. These deflections were detected using a fast quadrant photodiode, built into the optical probe. The precise relative-positioning system and the small diameter of the beams waist made it possible to detect and analyse the signals from the shock wave and the cavitation bubble. Here, we have demonstrated that a method based on a beam-deflection probe can be used to measure the fast phenomena that follow immediately after laser-induced breakdown as well as the whole dynamics of the bubble oscillations, which corresponds to a three-orders-of-magnitude larger time scale.

Optical measurements of the laser-induced ultrasonic waves on moving objects

We performed a single-shot, contactless measurement of ultrasonic waves on a laser-propelled rod with a homodyne quadrature laser interferometer (HQLI) during the entire duration of its motion. This is the first such experimental demonstration of the laser-induced motion of an elastic body where the most important mechanisms that reveal the nature of its motion are presented and explained. Furthermore, these measurements quantitatively demonstrate that the HQLI is an appropriate tool for monitoring high-amplitude (1.3 microm) and high-frequency (200 MHz) ultrasonic waves on moving objects. The applicability of the HQLI can also be extended to measure other optodynamic and high-frequency transient phenomena with a constant sensitivity and a resolution below 1 nm.

High-speed two-frame shadowgraphy for velocity measurements of laser-induced plasma and shock-wave evolution

We describe a high-speed, two-frame shadowgraph method for the two-dimensional visualization of an expanding laser-induced plasma and shock wave in two time instances. The developed experimental method uses a 30 ps, green-laser, polarized pulse for the direct and delayed illumination separated by a variable time delay in the range from 300 ps to 30 ns. Since the exposed images of a single event are captured with two CCD cameras, the established method enables velocity measurements of the fast laser-induced phenomena within the nanosecond excitation-laser pulse as well as at later times-when the excitation-laser radiation has already ended.

Use of the Roughness Parameters Ssk and Sku to Control Friction—A Method for Designing Surface Texturing

ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to show that with the use of the surface roughness parameters Ssk and Sku we can predict tribological behavior of contact surfaces and use these parameters to plan surface texturing. This article presents a continuation of our research on virtual texturing and experimental work on surface textures in the form of channels. For this investigation, steel samples were laser surface textured in the shape of dimples with different spacings between the dimples and different dimple depths. The experimental results confirmed that the parameters Ssk and Sku can be used to design the surface texturing, where a higher value of Sku and more negative Ssk lead to lower friction.

Optimization of displacement-measuring quadrature interferometers considering the real properties of optical components

We present the influence of alignment and the real properties of optical components on the performance of a two-detector homodyne displacement-measuring quadrature laser interferometer. An experimental method, based on the optimization of visibility and sensitivity, was established and theoretically described to assess the performance and stability of the interferometer. We show that the optimal performance of such interferometers is achieved with the iterative alignment procedure described.

In vitro study of the erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser cleaning of root canal by the use of shadow photography

Abstract. Erbium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser cleaning is a promising technique in endodontic treatment. In our in vitro study, we measured the vapor-bubble dynamics in the root canal by using shadow photography. The canal model was made of a plastic cutout placed between two transparent glass plates. An artificial smear layer was applied to the glass to study cleaning efficiency. In our results, no shock waves have been observed, since the pulp-chamber dimensions have been in the same range as the maximum diameter of the vapor bubble. This leads to the conclusion that shock waves are not the main cleaning mechanism within our model. However, the cleaning effects are also visible in the regions significantly below the bubble. Therefore, it can be concluded that fluid flow induced by the bubble’s oscillations contributes significantly to the canal cleaning. We also proposed a simple theoretical model for cleaning efficiency and used it to evaluate the measured data.